


Here's the story

by ifreet



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Community: cottoncandy_bingo, M/M, parenthood square
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-03-24
Packaged: 2018-01-16 20:08:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1360150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifreet/pseuds/ifreet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blending families can be hard on the kids. Even when the 'kid' is a computer.</p><p><i>Clint frowned -- and grabbed the triangle of toast Coulson winged at him, giving him a sharp look. Steve caught the motion, and Clint bit into the toast, raising his eyebrows over it like </i>yes, sometimes, Agent Coulson throws toast, nothing to see here<i>. Steve just shook his head. "Thanks for the coffee, Phil."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Here's the story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sisterofdream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisterofdream/gifts).



> Hey, guess who hasn't uploaded anything in an AGE. That's right, this girl!
> 
> Written for sis's birthday which fell post-Avengers and pre-Agents of SHIELD and therefore not compliant with... anything current probably.

The kitchen on Coulson's floor -- and yes, there were several concepts in that phrase that Clint was still adjusting to -- had no fewer than two coffee pots, at least one of which was guaranteed to be filled with coffee at any given time. Which meant, of course, that people were always coming and going. (Tony had been weirded out by that - Tony acted weirded out by half of everything Coulson did, actually, but  _particularly_  by Coulson not only allowing anyone with clearance to any of the Avenger levels access to his floor, but actively encouraging it. Coulson had made a motion that would have been a shrug if he'd had better range of motion, and pointed out that he'd hardly be bringing anything into the tower that he expected to keep confidential given the occupants, so why not?)  
  
When Steve wandered in, Coulson was eating a medical-approved, and therefore disgusting-looking breakfast while reading a paper, and Clint was sitting on the narrow back of a nearby chair, bugging him for the crossword. Honestly, it wasn't the most comfortable seat in the room -- he was sitting there because he could, and because it was annoying Coulson, and because Coulson wasn't saying a damn word about it, so he was going to keep doing it until things were normal. Steve filled up a mug, sweetened it way more than coffee that good deserved, and took a sip. His eyes closed, briefly. There followed a deep breath, almost a sigh, before he asked, "JARVIS, where's Tony?"  
  
"Mr. Stark is rather fond of the library."  
  
"The library," Steve repeated. He sounded understandably dubious.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Clint frowned -- and grabbed the triangle of toast Coulson winged at him, giving him a sharp look. Steve caught the motion, and Clint bit into the toast, raising his eyebrows over it like  _yes, sometimes, Agent Coulson throws toast, nothing to see here_. Steve just shook his head. "Thanks for the coffee, Phil."  
  
"Anytime," Coulson replied, turning the page. Clint hid a tiny smile behind another bite.  
  
Steve headed back to the stairs and presumably the library that Tony was perhaps fond of, but definitely not in. Clint poked at Coulson with his foot. Unsurprisingly, the poke failed to connect. "Look at you, so cool about being on a first name basis with Captain America."  
  
"Shut up," he replied, utterly failing to keep a straight face.  
  
"It's almost as weird as you letting Stark's computer lie to Captain America. I didn't know JARVIS could lie."  _And I don't like it_  went unsaid.  
  
Coulson folded the paper back up and turned to face him. "JARVIS can omit information and does regularly. And one assumes he picked up misdirection from his programmer."  
  
"And you don't think that's a problem?"  
  
He made that abortive, wanted-to-shrug motion. Clint made a note to break into Coulson's PT records, see if that pull through the shoulder was something he could help Coulson work through, or if it was always going to be something to work around. "Stark omits more and redirects better. I'm aware, and I never rely on a single, unverified source for information."  
  
Clint poked at him harder, because that was just uncalled for. Coulson neither avoided nor blocked it this time, so he knew it, too.  
  
"JARVIS has essentially been Stark's main support system for years, allowed access when even Ms. Potts was being kept in the dark about certain subjects. Now, Stark has people around who aren't part of Stark Industries or its customers; people beyond Pepper whom he spends time with because he wants to, not just because he has to, and Steve is a central part of that. JARVIS is testing his limits. I expect he did the same with Ms. Potts and Dr. Banner at some point. Blending families can be hard on the kids."  
  
"... Did you just compare the computer that runs the building we live in to a sulky teen?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"The computer that can  _hear us_ ," Clint clarified.  
  
"Yes. Either he'll act up and prove me right in the process, or he will take the high road and ignore this entire conversation. Regardless, it's only a matter of time before Stark realizes that his own A.I. is effectively cock-blocking him." Clint choked, and Coulson's straight face failed again. He covered -- or tried to, though even with his face turned away, Clint could see the laugh lines showing at the corner of his eye -- by gathering up utensils and plate, and he'd pushed away from the table, before adding, "I expect the fall-out will be spectacular. Unless, of course, JARVIS and Steve were to come to some sort of understanding before Stark finds out."  
  
There followed a rather expectant pause.   
  
"I will take that under advisement, sir."  
  
Clint snorted and hopped down from the chair. "Good idea; he's usually right."


End file.
